Leslie answered without a thought. “Very well in all classes that didn’t require interaction with other students. Did poorly in gym class and any laboratory classes that required participation with an actual lab partner.”

(OOC: my nickname for the War Games and military exercises in school is of course, gym class[/i])

“Now though he is an “A-class” butt head if you ask me. Last week he was here in the library and stared at me for like an entire hand. I thought I would scare him by saying hello, and boy, was that a mistake.”

With a heavy sigh, she answered his questions. “It was about a hand before curfew and he came into this very room, close to where we are sitting now and simply sat down. He watched kids come and go but seemed interested in watching me. He didn’t even get up to get a book or anything.”

“Anyway, I had books similar to the ones I have here. Simple books on history of our kingdom, nothing really damning or special. As I had said, I got tired of him looking at me so I simply looked up and said Hello[/i], thinking it would scare him off.”

“It had the opposite affect.”

“For you see, at the time, I didn’t have as much information on him as I just revealed to you. It was only after he spooked me here that I purposely got the full story on him. So (at the time) I thought by greeting him, the introvert would run away.”

Temmit nodded in understanding.

“He came over and sat near me. I smiled at first, as I was taken off guard by his uncharacteristic manner. I even had the stupid thought that perhaps he was coming out of his shell and Hey! Good for him![/i]”

“But the conversation he instigated got weird real fast. He asked me if there was anyone I knew at school who had a gang he could join. And that was like in the first two turns of the conversation! Anyway, he went on and on about his mother and how tough his life was, and since I smelled trouble, I merely placated his ego and acted like an innocent and stupid girl.”

“When the clock tower bell tolled it was the most loveliest sound I had ever heard.”

Temmit listened attentively to Leslie and nodded his understanding. "Well done." He said when she had finished.

"Marcus seems to be looking for a gang that he can join in order to cause trouble."

"At least, that's his apparent story. I'll be looking into him for a bit; let me know anything interesting about him that passes your way."

Smokey whispered a warning to him then, and he reiterated it to Leslie: "But don't go out of your way to try to find too much out. I wouldn't want him getting too interested in you. Also, don't believe a thing that he says."

"Now, what do you know about Mia Presscot?" He asked, changing the subject.

Temmit listened attentively to Leslie and nodded his understanding. "Well done." He said when she had finished.

Leslie had smiled proudly at Temmit's compliment.

She also seemed to listen and agree with the warning from Temmit, he sensed (via her body language) that she was creeped out by Marcus anyway.

Her smile lit up the room, as it so often did, when she heard Mia’s name.

“Mia!” she almost shouted. Leslie looked around apologetically and then waited a moment for any onlookers to turn back to their books.

“Sorry,” she apologized (to Temmit) with a smile. Then, whispering fiercely she said, “Mia is the best! I would switch houses just to hang out with her more, as we don’t often get to even have lunch together let alone have the same class.”

“Mia is very low-to-ground (OOC: expression that is akin to “down-to-earth“) you might say. She isn’t[/i] about trying to be it all to everyone...” Leslie made an ‘eh-hem’ sound as she cleared her throat “...like Renee. She is more about getting the job done. Which is completely opposite of the going gossip about her. It’s funny when I hear someone slander Mia’s reputation, always its someone who barely knows what she looks like, let alone has even talked to her. The going gossip spewed from the offendor’s mouth is always so completely unjustified that it is almost laughable.”

Leslie caught the all-too familiar raised eyebrow from Temmit.

“The griznuqs think she’s a floozy,” replied Leslie to the brow. “Just because she works as a fortune teller shop in Shantytown, one that is growing in popularity I might add, some girls in school think she must be giving more than just fortunes, if you know what I mean.”

(OOC: Had to stop here, as I don’t know if the “daft investigator” will actually know[/i] what the “pre-pubescent spy prodigy” is actual implying - which, would be hysterically funny I think.)

Leslie barely contained her burst of glee. Her hands came up to her smiling mouth as she made a gleeful noise through her clenched teeth. As she sat in her chair, her feet made her legs hop up and down like puppy dogs wanting to play and her big blue eyes got somehow bigger.

Temmit looked around nervously as Leslie rambled a little too loudly for his liking.

"Relax." Smoke said. "There's no one in earshot."

"Sshhh!" He admonished her. "Leslie, she's a fortune-teller." He whispered. "Her interview went really well, which is why we've invited her in." He gave her one of his 'you really should have that answer already' looks. "And since she hadn't really considered herself to have gifts to begin with, she was too busy digesting that notion to be thrilled, and no: we didn't give her any names."

"Which brings up another point: I'd appreciate it if you didn't share additional names with her at this point. As of right now, she's aware of myself, Renee, and Emma. Then there will be you. You can do that, right?"

"I just want her to know that there are truly other kids around with gifts. I want you to be her friend, which, happily, you already seem to be."

"I may be overstepping a bound or two of my own here, but I would like for you to be her primary point of contact with the clan for her initiation period. Same as was done for you, or anyone. Does that work for you?"

“It does. We don’t have the same dormitory, but they're more likely to let a girl like me in to the girls Artificers dorm before they would let in a guy from any House anyway. And when she is in ShantyTown, I know of a few passages in Lowtown that I would be more unfettered than in walking the above ground streets. But even if things get to risky in Lowtown, I can simply jump into a Lowtown alley and vanish with a Sneaky Draught.”

Temmit watched as the young girl whispered her streaming thoughts.

“Perhaps my first order of business is helping her to determine where her true gifts lie. If I find that she is a seer or a clairsentient then I could correspond questions and answers between her and other like-minded members in the guild," she said as she pointed at Temmit without actually looking up at him.

"That way all can stay ignorant of each others identities.”

She thought for a few moments and then finally looked up and smiled, not showing the slightest embarrassment for being caught thinking out loud.